Chapter 144: Christmas is Here
Late at night, as the full moon rose, past midnight, Dylan again placed a Mandrake leaf in his mouth. He also started checking his achievement notifications.
Perhaps because the initial achievements were easier to earn, and as time passed, he might have triggered several achievements here and there.
This made it harder to complete rarer achievements. So, even though he had cast a powerful spell on Lockhart at the Duelling Club, it didn't activate many important achievements with good rewards. The only somewhat useful one was a spell directly rewarded by the system, but it wasn't a max-level spell.
[Achievement]: Rip Open the Impostor's Belly!
[Description]: Lockhart is an impostor! Grab him and disembowel him! [Requirement]: Disembowel Lockhart.
[Achievement Reward]: Level 5 Obliviate
Perhaps because it wasn't a max-level spell, Dylan didn't even get to experience the illusion of casting it. Instead, his mind was simply filled with new knowledge and information.
[Message]: Congratulations! You have mastered the Level 5 spell—Obliviate!
"Only a Level 5 Memory Charm?" Dylan briefly felt the effects of Obliviate. It had to be said, this was truly a spell accessible only to third or fourth-year students and above.
Not only was it difficult to learn, making it hard for younger students to master, but while it might not cause fatal damage in combat, its effects were quite extraordinary.
After all, imagine in the middle of a duel, your opponent suddenly casts a Memory Charm, wiping your memories. This could potentially make the person forget how to use spells, or even who they are. In such a situation, what suspense could the battle hold? They'd be completely at the mercy of their opponent!
"However, my proficiency in this spell is only Level 5 right now, so I'm probably far from Lockhart's level." Dylan could feel that to maximize the Memory Charm's effect, one first needed to weaken the target's emotions. The target's emotional state, including their willpower, would affect the spell. If the target's emotions were too volatile or their willpower strong enough, then the magic required would naturally be greater, and the casting would need to be more precise to achieve the desired effect.
Just like when Aurors cast the Memory Charm on Death Eaters, they often faced difficulties due to the Death Eaters' fierce resistance. It was rare to see someone like Lockhart use it so accurately every time.
Not to mention, Lockhart's consistent success with the Memory Charm was also due to him first getting close to people, befriending them, and then ambushing them from behind when they were off guard, making it easy to succeed.
"Since merely disemboweling Lockhart granted a Level 5 Memory Charm, then to get the max level..." Dylan lay back on his bed, but several images popped into his mind. For instance, using Confringo to shatter Lockhart's four limbs. Or using Knotgrass to twist off Lockhart's "fifth limb" directly from his body. Failing that, he could consider using a combination of spells to skin Lockhart alive, stuff him with straw, and light him up like a lantern...
Thinking this, Dylan drowsily drifted back to sleep.
Over the next few days, Harry continued to be isolated by students from various houses. Dylan didn't pay much attention—Neville had been pestering him lately, asking for his help. It wasn't a big deal; Professor Sprout simply needed to dress all the Mandrake plants in the greenhouse—with scarves and socks.
Last year, Neville wasn't particularly close to Professor Sprout. The professor had spent a long time doing it herself. This year, Neville had grown more familiar with Dylan and Professor Sprout and volunteered to help. He also asked if Dylan could join him. Neville no longer felt awkward asking his friends for help.
As for Neville's request, Professor Sprout occasionally gave Dylan some potion ingredients. And although he didn't often go to Professor Sprout for extra lessons, every time he wanted to ask about herbology, the professor would answer and explain in detail without holding anything back. Moreover, this wasn't a big deal, just a little troublesome, so Dylan naturally agreed.
Professor Sprout was a little surprised to see him come help. She hadn't actually planned on having students assist her. But she couldn't resist Neville's enthusiasm. And Neville had been specially trained by her for a whole year, so she trusted him to dress the Mandrakes properly.
She just hadn't expected Neville to not only come help himself but also drag Dylan along. With Dylan there, Professor Sprout felt even more at ease. Dressing the Mandrakes wasn't just a skilled job, it was also physically demanding. She wasn't worried about Neville's skill, just his strength... But with two of them, she naturally had no need to worry anymore.
To dress a Mandrake, one had to pull it out of its pot. This was one reason why it was impossible to use spells to put socks on Mandrakes directly. Using spells directly on a Mandrake, as a living magical plant, could damage its root system. Additionally, the power of the spell could also affect the Mandrake's growth and medicinal value to some extent.
"Pop!" Neville, wearing gloves and earmuffs, grabbed a Mandrake by its leaves and yanked it out of its pot. The Mandrake, suddenly pulled from its pot, was about to wail. But Dylan had already raised his wand, its tip exuding a suppressive aura that even startled Neville. The Mandrake instantly shut its mouth.
—Although it was not good to directly use spells on Mandrakes, it didn't mean one couldn't pretend to use spells to scare them. Of course, this couldn't be done too often. Otherwise, if Mandrakes were scared too many times, it could affect their hormone secretion and hinder their growth.
Dylan handed the scarf and socks to Neville, who quickly dressed the Mandrake and pressed it back into its pot. Dylan thought for a moment and decided it would be easier for him to pull out the Mandrakes and have Neville dress them, which would save a lot of time and increase efficiency. After Neville pressed the Mandrake back into its pot, he then, according to Professor Sprout's instructions, applied some fresh fertilizer to it and reburied it.
"I'll pull the plants, you dress them," Dylan gestured with body language. Neville nodded. The two quickly worked together. Plus, Professor Sprout was also busy nearby, so the three of them were much faster than just two.
After finishing another pot, Professor Sprout waved her wand in the air, forming words: "Christmas is coming soon, are you going back home?"
Neville, holding a small sock and dressing a Mandrake, paused and didn't respond with his wand, simply nodding and opening his mouth: "I think I will be going back, Professor."
Dylan pondered for a moment, shook his head, then shrugged, indicating he wasn't sure yet. He held the Mandrake leaf in his hand, pulling steadily. With a "plop," he pulled it from the pot. A sharp wail instantly erupted in the greenhouse. Dylan raised his wand, attempting to intimidate it as usual, but this Mandrake seemed fearless. It only paused slightly, then cried even louder.
Dylan raised an eyebrow, watching the Mandrake struggle in his hand, and pondered for a moment. To Neville's bewildered gaze, he used his wand to give the Mandrake two quick slaps.
This not only stunned Neville but also the Mandrake in Dylan's hand—its crying abruptly stopped. However, after a brief silence, the Mandrake actually stopped crying. It blinked its somewhat disgusting eyes, turning its head to look at Dylan with a hint of expectation.
Dylan felt as if he understood a message from the plant's eyes—
"Hit me again, hit me again!"
Dylan's mouth twitched, and a cascade of black lines fell over his forehead. This Mandrake was quite unique. He gestured with his wand for Neville to quickly dress the creature and stop it from making such an unseemly face.
Anyone looking at it would lose Sanity points! Neville snapped back to reality, quickly putting a scarf and socks on the Mandrake, and Dylan immediately stuffed it back into the pot. Neville quickly re-fertilized it. Before the fertilizer and soil covered the Mandrake's eyes, it seemed to give Dylan a suggestive wink...
Dylan shivered. Meow! I've encountered a perverted plant!
"Quick, next one."
Seeing the situation between the two, Professor Sprout chuckled a few times.
Finally, after finishing the last Mandrake, Neville let out a heavy sigh, stretching his hands wide and wiping a thin layer of sweat from his forehead with a clean part of his wrist. Although Dylan was threatening the Mandrakes with his wand, when Neville was putting socks on them, they would secretly try to resist Neville, simply not wanting him to put them on.
This meant that even though Neville only had to put socks and scarves on the Mandrakes, he was still exhausted. Dylan couldn't do much about it. He could only scare the Mandrakes; he couldn't actually use spells on them. At most, he could tap their legs... or faces with his wand, as he just did.
"Children, thank you. You've been a great help—would you like some tea at my place?" Professor Sprout cleaned her hands, then took off her earmuffs, smiling as she approached Dylan and Neville.
Dylan shook his head: "Thank you for your kind offer, but I need to go back and read, so I won't be going." Neville sniffed the fertilizer on his hands, nearly gagging. Dylan cast a Scouring Charm on him. Neville took off his earmuffs and also shook his head.
"Then I won't go either, Professor. You should go back and rest. We'll head back to the dormitory."
"That won't do. You've saved me a lot of trouble." Professor Sprout blinked: "How about this, I'll give each of you a herb. Neville, you can pick yours up from me later. As for Dylan, what herb would you like?"
Dylan was a little surprised, not expecting to get anything for helping out. But he didn't refuse. His suitcase currently wasn't particularly large in space, but compared to the species already living inside, there were many more types that could fill it. Dylan thought for a moment, then smiled at Professor Sprout: "I'd like a Chinese Chomping Cabbage, if that's possible?"
Professor Sprout looked surprised: "You want a Cabbage? Those little fellows are quite troublesome. Unlike Mandrakes that just cry, they're quite aggressive—you should know that."
Dylan nodded: "I understand. However, I've been researching a potion lately and am lacking this ingredient. I was planning to buy some, but since you offered, I thought I'd ask you for one. Please don't worry, I'll be careful."
Professor Sprout chuckled: "I trust you completely. Those little fellows can't hurt you." She paused. "Wait here, I'll go get it for you." Professor Sprout walked out of the greenhouse.
She didn't make Dylan wait long. She returned, carrying a potted Chomping Cabbage that was already packaged and placed in a protective container.
"Here you go, child. I've placed a Shield Charm and a Silencing Charm on it. Be careful when you get back, don't get hurt."
Dylan nodded gently, a grateful smile appearing on his face: "Understood, thank you."
Bidding farewell to Professor Sprout, Neville and Dylan walked out of the greenhouse and towards Hogwarts Castle. Neville didn't ask Dylan why he wanted a Chomping Cabbage or what potion he needed it for. He simply raised his hand and sniffed his palm again.
"This smell is so strong, even magic won't get rid of it..." Neville cast the Scouring Charm on himself twice more.
Dylan glanced at him. Back in the greenhouse, he never touched the fertilizer. That job was entirely Neville's. He only needed to pull the Mandrakes from their pots and try to keep them from struggling too much. Neville would handle the rest.
As for the Mandrake fertilizer, it was because the Chamber of Secrets incident had been causing such a stir recently. After Dylan used the Mandrake Restorative Draught to revive Mrs. Norris, and even Harry's little fanboy later recovered thanks to the Mandrake Restorative Draught, Professor Sprout likely received instructions from old Dumbledore to quickly cultivate young Mandrakes.
Speaking of Harry's little fanboy, Colin. After he recovered, Dylan heard from both Neville and the other common room wizards that Colin only saw a large, fleeting, illusory thing before he passed out.
This meant that everyone still didn't know what the monster from the Chamber of Secrets was, but the Mandrake Restorative Draught had spread throughout Hogwarts. Professor Sprout, wanting the Mandrakes to grow faster, had specially created a fertilizer.
This fertilizer could be described as incredibly foul-smelling. If smelled from a distance, the odor wasn't strong, but if brought close to the nose, it could directly knock someone out...
And the smell lingered for a very long time; even magic wouldn't completely get rid of it. One had to constantly use cleaning agents. —That way, the scent of the cleaning agent would cling to the hands, naturally masking the stench.
Dylan, carrying the Chomping Cabbage, walked into the castle with Neville. Along the way, they both felt that the atmosphere around them seemed off; something else appeared to have happened—people were hurrying, as if rushing back to their common rooms. Neville saw a few people even looking panicked, and an inexplicable sense of unease rose within him.
"What's happened now?"
Dylan raised an eyebrow, honestly answering: "I don't know."
"But we can go back to the common room to see. I bet those little lions are all gathered together discussing it again."
Dylan quickened his pace. Neville paused, then also hurried to catch up. When he didn't know what was happening, he only felt a tiny bit of security by sticking close to Dylan.
When they finally returned to the common room, as expected, as soon as they entered, a cacophony of chatter assaulted them.
"Justin Finch-Fletchley was attacked!"
"Is that the guy from the Duelling Club who got curious about Malfoy's black snake, went to observe it closely, almost got bitten, and was then saved by Harry?"
"How do you know Harry saved him? Didn't everyone say Harry made the black snake attack?"
"No matter what, when he was found, he was already petrified!"
"Is it because of Harry?"
"Who knows, and that's not all! Our Gryffindor house ghost was also attacked!"
"Are you talking about Nearly Headless Nick?"
"Yes! Him! You don't know, Nearly Headless Nick was floating in mid-air, his entire body was dark and black, it was terrifying!"
"Ah? Does the Mandrake Restorative Draught work on ghosts? How do ghosts drink potions anyway?"
Dylan simply slowed his pace, walking a short distance through the crowd, and gathered the gist of what had happened. It turned out the Basilisk had attacked Hogwarts residents again. However, this time, the victims wouldn't be as lucky as Mrs. Norris and Colin.
—Because Dylan only had one bottle of Mandrake Restorative Draught left. He needed to keep it as a backup and couldn't hand it over to others.
"However, if I could get a pound or two of phoenix tears from old Dumbledore, this bottle of Mandrake Restorative Draught wouldn't be impossible to contribute."
Before entering the dormitory, Neville whispered to Dylan, his face anxious: "Dylan, this heir... who do you think it really is?"
Dylan knew Neville was actually asking if the Heir of Slytherin could be Harry. He pursed his lips, then shook his head.
The attacks are escalating! What do you think Dylan will do with the last bottle of Mandrake Restorative Draught, and how might he try to get phoenix tears from Dumbledore?
"No matter what, knowing that even petrified people can be saved is enough."
He looked at Neville, pressing his tongue to keep the Mandrake leaf from slipping out, and said, "Don't be scared. Even if that monster attacks you, I'll ask Professor Snape and Professor Sprout to brew the Mandrake Restorative Draught as quickly as possible to restore you."
However, Dylan's words made Neville's face twitch. "But Colin said he just saw a fleeting shadow and was petrified. What if the monster eats people? If I get attacked and it swallows me whole..." Neville's face crumpled, "The Mandrake Restorative Draught wouldn't be able to save me then, would it?"
Dylan's mouth twitched. That was true. If the Basilisk swallowed the little chubby boy whole, it probably wouldn't be able to spit him out. By the time he came out, he'd likely be a pile of bones. Dylan thought of the pile of white bones in the Chamber.
Entering the dormitory, Harry and the others weren't there yet. They likely got the news of another attack, and Hermione and Ron had dragged Harry off to hide. Maybe they went to Hagrid's hut, or perhaps Dumbledore took them to his office. Either way, Dylan didn't need to worry about them.
Coming to this world, besides studying, he also hoped to make up for some regrets—but not Harry's regrets. What did Harry have to regret, anyway? The things Harry was facing now wouldn't truly harm him, so Dylan didn't need to interfere much.
If it were someone like the first person to die—Cedric Diggory—a pathetic fellow who died lightly, purely to highlight Voldemort's cruelty, then Dylan stepping in to save him wouldn't be a problem. But Harry, he really didn't need Dylan to worry about him.
Dylan sat on his bed and continued reading. Christmas, on the 25th, was fast approaching. Dylan had already prepared Christmas presents for the professors. He had to admit, every year he almost had to prepare double gifts for professors and friends, and just thinking about what to give was enough to cause a headache.
Therefore, this year, Dylan decided to swap the gifts he had previously given to other professors and then give them out again—of course, excluding gifts with special meanings.
For example, the Quidditch Transfiguration Journal he gave Professor McGonagall. While the other professors might have some interest in Quidditch, it probably wasn't much—at least not as much as Professor McGonagall. So, giving other professors a Quidditch Transfiguration Journal wouldn't be very suitable.
But he could give Professor Snape a Potions Brewing Transfiguration Journal—opening the journal would directly transform it into a small cauldron, where Professor Snape could add pre-set ingredients to brew a small pot of Purity Shampoo.
As for Professor Trelawney, he could give her a Magic Crystal Ball Transfiguration Journal. There wasn't much new creativity to set up for this one; essentially, the journal would allow Professor Trelawney to directly transform it into a crystal ball. Whether Professor Trelawney could use the crystal ball for divination was none of Dylan's concern. Even if she couldn't, at least the journal could be used to record things.
Dylan hadn't gone to Professor Trelawney for extra lessons much since the start of this school year. For one, in terms of divination, Professor Trelawney honestly couldn't teach him much. Perhaps last school year she could still offer Dylan some unexpected insights and perspectives. But as Dylan read more and more books and gained more knowledge, he gradually no longer needed to acquire knowledge from Professor Trelawney.
"As for Professor McGonagall... this year, perhaps I can give her some cat teaser toys, but not too obviously. Or perhaps combine the cat teaser with a cat paw-shaped teacup, so the cat teaser can not only tease cats but also be used for grinding teeth when grabbed, and it can also act as a spoon for stirring tea."
A tail that can tease cats, a spoon end that can stir, and even something to chew on. Simply perfect!
Later, Harry and the others returned. Both looked dejected. Ron muttered as he entered, "I can't understand it. I already testified for Harry, why don't they believe it? If Harry really is some heir, Hermione should be the first one to be eaten!"
Dylan looked up at Ron, his mouth twitching. What did Hermione do to you?
Harry shook his head, "It's okay, as long as I know it wasn't me, that's enough."
"How can that be okay?" Ron's eyes widened. "It clearly wasn't you, why are they falsely accusing you!"
Harry sighed, "Someone else got hurt, and everyone is scared. I can understand that. Luckily, it's almost Christmas, so we won't see them anymore."
Ron paused, then helplessly pursed his lips, "Let them all go home early now! The professors also said that this year's Christmas feast won't be held." Seeing Harry didn't reply, Ron thought for a moment and said, "I'm not going back this year. I'm staying at school with you!"
Harry looked up, a hint of gratitude in his eyes.
Ron huffed, flopping onto his bed. "Plenty of people are booking train tickets home now, aren't they? Let them book them! It'd be good if they all left quickly!"
"We'll be at school, and the dining hall will even prepare special Christmas meals for us!" The two mumbled. Neville and Seamus weren't in the dormitory at the moment.
Dylan listened to their conversation and remembered that he should indeed start packing. —That's right, Dylan wasn't planning to stay at school for Christmas this year. There was too much to do outside of school. Since he finally had a chance to leave without asking for permission, he had to plan carefully what he needed to do.
Dylan closed his book, sat up from his bed, and began to organize his luggage. Seeing his actions, Ron and Harry were surprised.
"Dylan, aren't you staying at school for Christmas this year?"
Dylan nodded slightly: "Yes, the holidays start in two days. I'm not staying at school this year."
Harry paused, then opened his mouth: "Are you... going home?"
Dylan looked at him, pursed his lips, and didn't answer directly: "Well, my parents probably miss me very much." He wasn't planning to stay at home for too long this time—perhaps not even at all. But what exactly he wanted to do, he naturally didn't need to tell Harry and the others. Harry fell silent.
Dylan glanced at him. "You'll probably be doing other things at school, right? I won't participate or ask about those. When you come back after Christmas, if you have any results, tell me then."
Upon hearing that Dylan wasn't leaving school because he was afraid of him, Harry's lips curved, and his mood brightened. Yeah, how could Dylan be afraid of him? If he were the Heir of Slytherin and provoked Dylan, he'd still get whipped, right? He should be the one who's scared! Of course, he wasn't the Heir of Slytherin, so there was no need for them to worry about who was afraid of whom! With that thought, Harry started chatting with Ron again. Neville and Seamus also returned to the dormitory soon. Seeing Dylan packing, they also started organizing their belongings. The four chatted, and the dormitory atmosphere gradually became relaxed.
On Christmas Eve, Hogwarts indeed did not hold a Christmas feast. In fact, the school had already announced the start of the holidays that day. Everyone could leave a day early. Almost immediately, the entire Hogwarts emptied out. Last year, many people chose to stay at school. This year, all four houses were basically deserted. Especially Gryffindor; only Hermione, Harry, and a few Weasleys remained. —The school food was free, after all. —And they could stay here to accompany Harry. The second point was probably more important.
"I'll wish you a Merry Christmas here then. Tomorrow, when you wake up, you'll receive my gifts." Dylan bade farewell to Harry and the others and boarded the train leaving school on Christmas Eve. Before that, he had also written to the professors, telling them to just leave the Christmas gifts on his dormitory bed and not to send them to his house—he wouldn't be home anyway.
This time, Dylan primarily had a few things to do after leaving school. Firstly, he wasn't really interested in robbing dark wizards anymore—those dark wizards were one poorer than the last. Robbing them too many times would devalue his status. However, he could try to reveal himself and let his obsessed followers—Dylan meant his believers—let those believers hand over all the money they had collected for him. He just wondered if any of his followers had taken his words from his previous appearance seriously.
"I remember two Aurors mentioned I had a fangirl, Delphini, didn't they? But she seems to have been caught again. She probably won't be released in such a short time." Dylan thought for a moment and decided to let his followers simmer and accumulate more money for him. He didn't want them to go through a lot of trouble just to get him one or two thousand Galleons, or even just one or two hundred. —He might as well just rob Gringotts.
"If I could master the ability to cut space, how great would it be if I could just cut the entire underground space of Gringotts into my own spatial pocket?" Dylan couldn't help but daydream. In his previous life, he would often sigh, wishing he could fly, wishing he could teleport, wishing he had a spatial ring.
Then he could go wherever he wanted, and no matter how many things he had, he could simply stuff them into his spatial pocket without effort! For this, he even used to fly around in his dreams! And now, the contents of his dreams had all come true. Dylan naturally had new dreams to pursue.
Besides that, Dylan wanted to use the Christmas break to check out how wizarding properties were sold. Like Number 12 Grimmauld Place—Sirius Black's family property, a five-story Georgian townhouse in Islington, London. It was worth around 4.15 million pounds. This was what he had learned in his previous life.
As for the specifics, he naturally had to investigate. However, Dylan wasn't saying he wanted to buy such an expensive villa. He could buy a small property and, once acquired, use it as a destination for a Portkey.
This property would then become Dylan's other safe house. They say a cunning rabbit has three burrows, and Dylan didn't even have one yet. He couldn't possibly use his parents' address as a Portkey destination. If something really happened and he wanted to escape, he might end up right in front of people's faces... He might as well use the Avada Kedavra to kill everyone instead.
As for Dylan's suitcase, for him, it was a very important secret. Although many people knew about his suitcase, everyone just thought it was a small room Dylan used to store books and conduct experiments. However, even though the suitcase could be placed in his inventory, he couldn't put the suitcase away after entering it. Because once he entered the suitcase, he wouldn't have a suitcase to put away.
Also, Dylan couldn't use the suitcase as a Portkey destination. So, he needed to acquire a property of his own. With a dedicated space, Dylan would naturally be able to do more.
"Just buying a small house would be enough, preferably something secluded. As for the money to buy the house, I can completely get it by hunting Acromantulas and exchanging their venom for Galleons."
Taking advantage of being at school to deal with more Acromantulas would not only allow him to exchange materials for money but also level up his spell mastery tasks—a win-win situation. He was practically sick of repeatedly killing small spiders and cockroaches in his suitcase. He had even gained a title feature because of it.
[Achievement]: Cockroach Killer
[Description]: You are the bane of cockroaches. You are not a slipper, but you are better than a slipper! Instantly fatal!
[Requirement]: Kill all cockroaches in an entire area.
[Achievement Reward]: Feature—Oppress Inferior cockroaches!
[Feature]: Oppress Inferior cockroaches
[Description]: Your divine power suppresses the lower realm! All roaches of the lower realm will kneel at your feet, trembling!
[Ability]: When you unleash your divine power, all cockroaches will feel fear, collapsing to the ground, awaiting your slaughter.
A feature that wasn't particularly useful. It didn't compare to Spell Chain, or Pet Control, or even Rapid Meditation. Did he need to make cockroaches fear him? Fifty of his spells could easily kill a whole group. Was it necessary to use this feature to make those cockroaches lie on the ground, waiting for him to deal with them one by one?
Dylan looked at the rapidly receding scenery outside the train window. The name Cedric again appeared in his mind. In fact, he didn't have much interaction with this senior. Even though Cedric could be considered a celebrity in Hufflepuff, very good at socializing, with a gentle temperament, handsome looks, and a friend circle that covered almost all of Hogwarts—except for Slytherin House. But Dylan only knew through Harry that he was quite good at Quidditch.
Aside from that, he had seen Cedric's death in a divination session. He also recalled the relevant plot concerning Cedric. Just as he had thought before, a Hufflepuff senior who died without much impact. And after his death, the Ministry of Magic, to cover up the news of Voldemort's resurrection, even claimed his death was an accident during the Triwizard Tournament.
Perhaps Dylan had initially just wanted to let things take their course; if he could save him naturally, he would. But during the divination, seeing the faces of some people at the Ministry of Magic, an unnamed anger rose within him. So they wanted to die? This was just a children's fairy tale, no one was going to die on his watch!
Unless he was the one doing the killing.
Those people at the Ministry of Magic were so crooked it was unbelievable, still jumping around. Just seeing the divination results was enough to ignite a nameless fury. This kind of ability, Dylan felt, was truly unique.
Moreover, if he could directly save Cedric, it would be a simple matter, but the benefits he would gain from it would be substantial. After all, Cedric was popular not only at school but also outside of school.
His father was from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry of Magic. This was the department that Dylan had originally entrusted Hagrid with, and Hagrid, after readily agreeing, then asked Dumbledore to help him get the Umbra-Shadow Breeding License. Although this department didn't seem particularly important, with the suitcase, Dylan had a great need for any magical creatures.
For example, Coal Ball could at least stay in his pet dimension. If he wanted to raise other magical creatures and just stuff them into the suitcase, there might not be a big problem. But if others discovered it, without proper permits, he might encounter some unnecessary trouble—even though not all magical creatures required breeding permits, most of the ones Dylan wanted to raise did.
Then, Dylan could ask Cedric's father to help him obtain permits and also see if he could get his hands on magical creatures that the Ministry of Magic had confiscated from various places or temporarily acquired due to accidents and were later to be released. After all, Cedric was also older. After he graduated, with a father working at the Ministry, he would naturally be arranged a job there.
At that time, Cedric could achieve a "one-step solution," directly becoming the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures from a student, without any effort! Not like Hermione, who first had to start as an Auror, then slowly get promoted to Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and finally continue to strive and strive! Until she finally became the Minister for Magic.
Although Cedric might eventually miss out on being Minister, who knows? And even if he was just the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, it would be enough for Dylan.
Even little Voldemort could influence the Ministry of Magic, so why couldn't he? And besides, he would only be getting involved in the Ministry because he saved someone, and then they insisted on doing something for him. So, ultimately, he was acting out of kindness, and that's why people would do things for him.
—This is personal charisma!
.....
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